Series NotesPirates (65-53)… Cardinals (64-54)… The Cards are one game behind the Bucs, which makes this a very important series… James McDonald before the All-Star break: 2.37 ERA; after the All-Star break: 8.71 ERA… Jake Westbrook is 1-2 with a 4.74 ERA in three starts against the Pirates this season… Erik Bedard hasn’t done well away from home; he has a 6.75 ERA on the road… Lance Lynn has a 6.55 ERA in his last four starts… Jeff Karstens has gone seven-plus innings in five of his last eight starts… Jaime Garcia makes his first start since missing more than two months with left shoulder impingement… Lance Berkman is on the 15 day DL and could return in September… Yadier Molina is day-to-day with lower back stiffness… Pittsburgh and St. Louis are the only National League teams to have four players with 60+ RBI – Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, and Garrett Jones for the Pirates/Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, David Freese, and Allen Craig for the Cardinals.